Lyor Cohen Partners With Twitter to Find Talent

Lyor Cohen is partnering with Twitter to find talent for his new label, the veteran executive revealed during the Midem music exhibition in Cannes, France, Saturday (Feb. 1).

“In the modern A&R business we are all looking for talent in various places, and certainly Twitter is a terrific place to look at talent,” Cohen told former Tommy Boy CEO Tom Silverman in front of a packed crowd inside the Cannes’ Palais des Festivals centre Saturday (Feb. 1). “If you want to get signed, you have to engage with Twitter, and of course YouTube, and we’ll be looking to try and develop tools that the rest of the music community can utilize.”

The announcement in France was the first time Cohen has publicly spoken on the 300 venture, which he called "an amazing opportunity for entrepreneurs to be independent," specifically in the music business.

“The mission statement is to create a lasting reputation for high quality and artist development,” he said of 300. “It's a creative hub that goes beyond the creation of music and songs. It's a place where artists, managers, agents can access experience and tools so they could be highly participating in the artist development process."

The 54-year-old New Yorker is perhaps best known for his time with Def Jam Records. He later signed on as chairman of Warner Music Group, a position he held until 2012.

BET.com is your #1 source for Black celebrity news, photos, exclusive videos and all the latest in the world of hip hop and R&B music.